Klopp has Covid-related dig at Man Utd; update on trio of Liverpool absentees
Jurgen Klopp appeared to have a dig at Manchester United over their transparency relating to players missing through Covid ahead of Liverpool’s clash at Tottenham on Sunday.
United’s clash at Brentford in midweek was called off due to a Covid breakout at the club. This weekend’s game against Brighton has already gone the same way, with the pandemic causing a number of other Premier League games to be postponed as well.
Despite all the disruptions, the Reds plowed on without Covid victims Virgil Van Dijk, Fabinho and Curtis Jones in the win over Newcastle.
And speaking ahead of the game Spurs, Klopp suggested that United should have named the players who had returned positive tests.
He said: “Three players are probably not available. If they are available, we will say that. At Manchester United, I heard a number of players. Is it necessary to know who or how many? Not knowing is quite strange.
“We don’t have anything to hide. Our first and most important concern is that the boys are healthy. If someone has the flu and you ask me, I say he has flu. If he has a broken toe, I say he has a broken toe.
“I know all the anti-vaxxers will say Jurgen Klopp said they had the vaccine but now they have the virus. It makes it more unlikely to get it. Unfortunately they had the booster too late for the infection, if they are infected.
“I am not against stopping the league, I just don’t see the 100% benefit from stopping it compared to carrying on. Stopping means we stop now for 1-2 weeks. That means 5-6 games? When do you want to play them?”
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As for the trio of Reds stars absent for the Newcastle victory, Klopp admits he’s unsure about their availability for Sunday’s game.
He added: “It’s not confirmed yet. It’s an ongoing process. They are fine. In this moment no-one else is positive but the players don’t come here until later.”
Klopp is also unclear about what to expect from a Spurs side who have had their last three Premier League outings called off.
The Reds boss said: “We have no information about Tottenham. I have no idea if they have trained today. We don’t think we shouldn’t play on Sunday and we would like to play.
“We have games to play and Thursday-Sunday is a tough. I don’t know when these games will be played. When is the space for them?”
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